Peaches
by Antigone2
Summary: You have to feel for Neo Queen Serenity. It's hard being ruler of the world and four months pregnant! At least she has a husband to take things out on...


Author's notes: A special thanks to Patch for giving me the title. I was   
having a bit of trouble with writer's block and asked my mailing list to give   
me titles to work off of. This one was a challenge, and I hope I met it well,   
and to Patch's satisfaction as well as yours, yes you, reading this right now.   
If you like it, could I have some email, please?  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I just play.   
  
"Peaches"  
by Antigone  
~~  
  
"That," the beautiful woman shook her head, causing waterfalls of   
crimson black to flow around her shoulders as she regarded the most powerful   
person in the universe, "is incredibly stupid, Serenity."   
  
Neo-Queen Serenity crossed white arms over her shimmering dress, pouting   
perfect pink lips at her friend. She said nothing.   
  
Sailor Mars sighed, "Serenity. It's the dead of winter, okay? We are in   
the middle of a city." She slowed her voice down, putting her hands on her   
friend's shoulder, talking as if talking to a very young child, "There is a   
blizzard outside. No jets are taking off for anything. You. Can't. Have.   
Any. Peaches."  
  
Blue eyes narrowed dangerously into hazel ones. "But Mars-chan! I   
really, *really* have to have a peach. I can't help it! Mercury even said   
cravings are usual around the first and second trimester!"   
  
"I'm sorry, your majesty," Mars answered, rolling her eyes slightly, "I   
really am."  
  
"Well," Serenity huffed, still very upset, "you should be."  
  
At this Mars began to get a little angry, after all, it was true   
pregnancy could lead to mood-swings, which god knew, Serenity had enough of   
already, but her Queen's anger at not being able to get to her craving of the   
moment was just a little misplaced. "Serenity, it's not my fault you are   
pregnant, okay?!"  
  
With a soft rustle of skirts, the Queen stepped back, biting her lip.   
For a moment neither spoke.  
  
Then Serenity smiled slightly at her friend, "Gomen, Mars-chan, I know it   
isn't your fault."  
  
Then her eyes narrowed and she turned in a whirl on one silver shoe,   
marching down the hallway, "ENDYMION!!"  
~~  
  
Light hazel eyes lifted from a thick volume of political census, and King   
Endymion sweatdropped slightly, slowly removing silver wire-rimmed glasses from   
his eyes and placing them on the table next to him. He stood slowly, turning   
to face his wife, glaring at him from the doorway.  
  
"Yes, my darling?" he asked, calmly, quickly reviewing the past few days   
in his head… he could have sworn he hadn't done anything that could have   
possibly made her angry (he was careful not to!) but that in of itself did not   
guarantee the Neo-Queen's favor. For all he knew, she was angry that the sun   
rose, or something else as uncontrollable . And he was also pretty certain it   
was his fault.  
  
"This is all your fault!"  
  
Did he know her or what?  
  
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, taking a step closer as she raised one   
slim eyebrow at him, gauging his reaction, "Will you tell me," he cleared his   
throat, "what, exactly, I am sorry for?"  
  
She tugged a little at the fabric tight over the still fairly small   
swelling of her belly, frowning a little, "That my dresses don't fit. That my   
ankles hurt. And," here she lifted her eyes to his, the very picture of   
disgruntlement, "that I *really* really have to have some fresh peaches, but   
there aren't any." Her little speech was finished with a well-placed huff, as   
she turned her face from his, chin lifted as only a true royal can.  
  
One large warm hand brushed down her face, and caught her chin, guiding   
Serenity's face so blue eyes gazed into his.   
  
"What can I do?" he asked softly, annoying Serenity to no end. Why did   
he have to be so damn sweet about everything? Why could he just let her be mad   
at him?! But, unfortunately, the wonderful tantrum she was about to work   
herself into was melting away as he pulled her gently into his arms, kissing   
her softly on the cheek, and the neck… Darn.  
She sighed and surrendered.   
  
"Get me some peaches?"  
  
A pause. He pulled back to look at her.  
  
"Anything… besides that?" he asked, feeling a little desperate.  
  
Instantly the pout was back, her arms were crossed over chest, "Fine.   
Then I'll just have to be miserable and hungry for who knows how long."  
  
"Serenity-" he said, comfortingly, but she cut him off.  
  
"And," Neo-Queen Serenity, co-ruler of Earth, stated matter-of-factly,   
"it is still all your fault!"   
  
He sighed. Then she heard another sound, and turned suspiciously,   
narrowing blue eyes into slits.  
  
"Are you *laughing* at me?!" she asked, her voice high and sounding very   
insulted.  
  
A perfectly expressionless, stoic faced gazed back at her. "No," he   
said, his voice unreadable. Well, unreadable to anyone but her.  
  
"Yes, you are!" she yanked away from his grasp, and he barely suppressed   
another snicker.  
  
"Am…not…"   
  
"What is just SO hilarious, then?" she asked, challengingly, again   
raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Just," he shook his head, fighting away laughter completely, "this   
situation… I swear, I am not laughing at you," he said seriously, taking her   
hand.  
  
"I just don't see how this is all my fault," he added, "I seem to   
remember you had a part in making this baby, too."  
  
Face turning red, she pointed one finger right at his chest. He winced a   
little.  
  
"Endymion?" Serenity said, her voice low and dangerous.  
  
"H-hai?"  
  
"Are *you* the one who is four and a half months pregnant with a very   
temperamental child who has strange cravings, makes you ill, and keeps you up   
half the night?"  
  
"No." He admitted, taking a step back, mentally hitting himself over the   
head a few times.  
  
Serenity nodded smugly, "Gee, I thought not. Okay, then, don't talk to   
me until either you can take a turn at this," she gestured to her swollen   
belly, "or at least get me some peaches!!"  
  
The door slammed.  
  
Endymion resisted the overwhelming urge to bash his head against the   
wall.  
  
~~  
  
The next morning was cold, snow still falling across a silent city. In a   
large, beautiful room, the senshi gathered, awaiting the arrival of their   
monarchs for the weekly morning gathering.  
  
Since neither of the two in question had arrived yet, all the senshi were   
taking full advantage of the situation.  
  
"So *what's* going on, exactly?" Eagerly, Sailor Jupiter leaned across   
the table to join in Sailor Mars and Venus' conversation about the King and   
Neo-Queen.  
  
"She's mad at him," Mars stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Ooooh," Jupiter and Venus said together, exchanging delighted looks.  
  
"Why?" Asked Mercury, who lifted her head from shifting through papers,   
blushing sheepishly when they all turned to face her.  
  
"Because he knocked her up."  
  
"VENUS!" Mars cried, shocked.  
  
The blonde shrugged airily, "I stand by my crude statement."  
  
"Well, it is…true… in a way…" Mars said, thoughtfully, "although I   
thought it was more about the peaches."  
  
"But if she wasn't in her…delicate condition," Jupiter chortled a little   
at the thought of Serenity's new moody condition as 'delicate', "she wouldn't   
be craving peaches in the first place."  
  
"So," Sailor Uranus asked, listening openly despite the looks Neptune was   
giving her, "did she really make him sleep on their sofa?"  
  
Mars looked up, "Uranus-san, there are over 250 bedrooms in the crystal   
palace alone. Over 300 actual *beds*. Endymion even has his own chambers."  
  
"So," Uranus repeated, in the exact same tone of voice, "did she really   
make him sleep on their sofa?"  
  
Venus and Jupiter exchanged amused looks.  
  
"Yes," they answered together.  
  
"That poor man," Neptune murmured, shaking her head.   
  
"This is nothing compared to how she flipped out over her morning   
sickness," Venus said, eyes lighting up at the memory.  
  
"Darn," Uranus muttered, "you leave for a few months to guard the outer   
planets from your palace and you miss everything good!"  
  
Just then, the huge doors opened, and Endymion entered the room, looking   
at his watch incredulously. His other hand clutched a cup of coffee like a   
lifeline.  
  
Uranus smirked.  
  
"Look who didn't get any last night," she whispered to Venus, who giggled   
back.  
  
"For once."  
  
Neptune hit Uranus upside the head, and the taller senshi sheepishly   
returned to standing at attention.  
  
"Your majesty," they said, bowing slightly at the waist.  
  
"Am I…" he trailed off, looking a little lost.  
  
"Late?" Mars supplied, helpfully, "Yes, it would seem so."  
  
"Don't worry, Endymion-sama," Venus said cheerfully, "we forgive you."  
  
The poor man was still shaking his wrist and putting his watch to his   
ear. He looked a little disheveled as he took a seat at the table.   
Jupiter watched him carefully, wondering what hell it must be for him   
with Serenity acting so unpredictable, and randomly locking him out of the   
bedroom for things like it being winter.  
  
She stifled a chortle, only making a grating sound in the back of her   
throat. Goodness but she loved living here.  
  
"Shall we get started then?" Mercury asked, giving Jupiter a look. The   
senshi in green coughed into her hand.  
  
"Aren't we missing someone?" Venus asked innocently, looking pointedly to   
Serenity's empty seat.  
  
"I'm pretty sure our dear Serenity has overslept," Mars said, "since   
Endymion wasn't there to wake her up…"  
  
The king groaned out loud, his head falling to the table.  
  
Neptune put a kind hand to his shoulder, "It's okay," she said   
comfortingly, "There are only five more months left."  
  
Clearing her throat, Mercury changed the subject, "I think it's okay to   
begin, since she usually sleeps through these meetings anyway."  
  
"Any new business?" Jupiter asked.  
  
  
  
It was about twenty minutes later that the large doors to the room burst   
open and a whirl of silver and white rushed through, slamming them behind her   
with a resounding echo throughout the room.  
  
Neptune stopped in mid-sentence and every eye in the room turned toward   
their Queen, who at the moment, had one hand to her chest, desperately trying   
to catch her breath.   
  
After a few moments, she straightened up and flashed the group a   
blinding, beautiful smile.  
  
"Ohayo gasimasu!"  
  
Endymion's head returned to the table with a soft 'thunk'. Mars looked   
at him sympathetically.  
  
"Am I late?" she asked, taking her seat next to her husband.  
  
"Yes," Mars said, "but we forgive you, too."  
  
Serenity smiled her thanks, nodded officially at Neptune to continue, and   
preceded to lean her head on her arms and fall fast asleep.  
  
And she stayed that way, even after the meeting ended, and almost   
everyone had left to go about their morning business.   
  
Everyone but Mercury who was organizing the random files and notes she   
took during the meeting, Mars, who was staring at Endymion curiously, and   
Endymion, who was staring at Serenity.  
  
"You know," the priestess said fondly, "sometimes I don't know why you   
put up with her." But her eyes were kind as she looked at her queen.  
  
He started a little, and tore his eyes away from his wife, looking at   
Mars curiously, "What do you mean?"  
  
She spread her hands, as if the answer should be obvious, "Most people   
wouldn't take being blamed for every little thing very lightly. Especially if   
they were being forced to sleep on the couch because of it."  
  
Endymion smiled slightly, rubbing the crick in his neck, "I guess not,"   
he murmured.  
  
"It's been tough," he said, brushing soft hair out of her eyes tenderly,   
"for both of us."  
  
There was a moment of silence.  
  
"But she banished you from your marriage bed because you couldn't   
magically create fresh peaches out of season," Mercury added, "don't you think   
she was overreacting a little?"  
  
He was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head, slowly, "No, I think   
I see why she was mad."  
  
"Endymion-sama! That's insane!" Mars' lowered her voice when Endymion   
signaled for her to be quieter lest Serenity wake, "you can't honestly believe   
it's your fault she can't get her stupid fruit."  
  
The king shook his head, nearly laughing again, "No," he turned serious   
again, "but I can see why she was annoyed with me."  
  
Mercury raised her eyebrows.  
  
"I've been trivializing this whole thing," he confessed, "trying so hard   
to walk on eggshells around her that I stopped listening to her. Everything I   
say is 'yes, dear', 'no, dear', 'I'm sorry, dear'." He blushed a little, "I   
think it annoyed her that I took none of her complaints seriously, didn't seem   
to take *her* seriously."  
  
The girls were silent.  
  
"Well," Mars said, "you *are* a man."  
  
Mercury nodded, "She should cut you some slack for that 'Y' chromosome."  
  
Endymion rested his head on his fist, returning his longing gaze to   
Serenity's sleeping face. "I just don't want to spend another night on the   
sofa."  
  
Mercury gave him a small smile and she and Mars turned to leave, "Then   
tell her what you told us."   
~~  
  
A few minutes after the door had shut behind them, Endymion considered   
for a moment. He had barely slept at all last night, and he know it had less   
to do with the cramped conditions of the small sofa outside of the bedroom   
chambers, and more to do with the lack of her warm body next to his. This was   
insane. He missed her too much.  
  
Trying to wake her, he brushed his hand gently down her face, unable to   
stop himself from running a finger across her lips. God, she's so beautiful…   
He startled violently when he felt her respond by kissing each finger tenderly,   
lifting bright blue eyes to his.  
  
Endymion stared in amazement as she lifted her head and stretched her   
arms high above her head, yawning. Serenity smiled at him, finally, closing   
the distance between to kiss his shocked lips, twice.  
  
"How long were you awake?" he asked, blushing a little.  
  
She smiled, and he could not resist pulling her toward him and kissing   
her desperately until the ache in his chest lessened slightly. "Long enough,"   
she told him.  
  
"I missed you," he murmured, nearly incoherently.   
"But you have yet to get me a peach," she said, shaking her head, "How am   
I supposed to believe in your vows of everlasting love if you can't even find   
me one little peach?"  
  
Endymion looked at her closely, trying to figure out if she was serious.  
  
Wide eyes gazed back at him innocently. Sighing, Endymion turned away   
and reached into a briefcase beside his chair. Looking for a moment at what   
was in his hands, he frowned sadly and shook his head.  
  
"This was the best I could do," he admitted, handing her a medium sized   
packet.  
  
Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at it. 'Sundried Peaches' the   
label read.  
  
Running a hand through his hair, she heard her husband clear his throat,   
  
"Can I please be allowed back into the bedroom?"  
  
Her eyes didn't leave her bag of dried peaches. "Okay," she said.  
  
He was shocked, "Am I forgiven that quickly?" Hazel-violet eyes narrowed   
warily, "What's the catch?"  
  
Neo-Queen Serenity gave him a beautiful smile, "In spring," she said, "I   
want a peach."  
  
"I'll import them from Georgia the second the season comes," he promised   
quickly.  
  
"And right now," she said, standing up and linking her arms around his   
neck, "I want to make up for last night."  
~~  
  
"They're what?" Venus exclaimed that night at dinner, "But-but…they were   
just fighting!"  
  
Mercury made a face, "Some of us were eating, Mars."  
  
Mars shrugged, "Uranus asked why they weren't at dinner, and I told you   
all."  
  
"You know, you should be more careful," Jupiter told Uranus,   
gesturing with her chopsticks, "when asking stupid questions like 'where are   
the King and Queen?'"  
  
"You learn that if you live around here," Venus allowed.  
  
The two outer senshi exchanged looks.  
  
"Right," Uranus said, changing the subject, "so, what's for dessert?"  
  
"Peach cobbler," Jupiter read from the menu the nearby maid had handed   
her.  
  
"Uh," Uranus paled, "I pass."  
  
"Me too," Neptune added.  
  
"And I will as well."  
  
"Me too!"  
  
"And me…"  
  
For a moment they all stared at each other and then burst into gales of   
laughter that had the servants sweatdropping.  
~~  
Fin.  
La la la la…  
I never said it would be good!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
